Seven Hills was thrilled to supported Here East with the launch of its second event in its series ‘Looking Beyond the Hype of the Metaverse’ – this time taking place at South by SouthWest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.
Through six round table discussions, the event sought to address the expansive power of the Metaverse, and what it can potentially bring society over the next decade.
With the Metaverse influencing all sectors of the global economy, the conversational focus varied from art, gaming and design to the future of work, commercialisation and education.
Led by six respective experts, each discussion looked at the ‘Now, Near and Next’ of the Metaverse economy – debating how we can make the transition both safely and sustainably – spotlighting its benefits, whilst also addressing the risks.
The roundtables were led by moderators: Ahna Boxley, Camille Baker, Fred Schidmt MBE, Tom Hoster, Jessie Contour, and Lemuel Williams. And participating were representatives from organisations inlcuding Nokia, Paramount Global, CNN Technology, StorytechParks Arizona, VNTANA, Shatterproof Films and Epic Games.
Conclusions were drawn that the Metaverse holds copious amounts of potential, for collaborative art, safe and accessible gaming, improved methods of communication and enhanced learning methods – but only if regulation, accessibility, commitment and opportunity is increased and adopted globally within its domain.
To round off the event, Here East gave a ‘sneak peak’ of its new Virtual Twin of its London campus. Although still in its early stages of development, the 3D prototype created in conjunction with SquintOpera, brought plans to make their campus globally accessible through virtual reality to life.